Find a need and meet it…
Find a hurt and heal it!
As Published in the GOD TV Guide
At one time threatened, even reviled, Annie Chikhwaza is a woman who has given up everything to touch the lives of those in need. Never mind the dangers of volatile townships, or the sacrifice of leaving home and culture, she broke her back in a car accident and in a separate incident was beaten up and left for dead by people close to her. Yet she chose to forgive and continue to reach out to the hurting. Her’s is an extraordinary story of how God has used her to make a difference in the lives of so many, who would otherwise have perished… Watch it now on In Depth, on GOD TV.
Born in a poor village in the Netherlands, life was hard for the young Fries girl everyone knew as ‘Annie’, yet she was always the one playing with ‘the dirty children’ society was so quick to reject. That was forbidden then, just like it was unheard of for white people to venture into South Africa’s volatile townships at the time, but that made no difference to Annie.
God had called at a young age to serve Him and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her, not least of which fears for her own safety or financial difficulties. “Annie, Annie” she heard God calling her at the age of 15, and she knew she was destined to a life dedicated to Him… She thought she would have to become a nun, but God had other plans. At age 16 she trained as a psychiatric nurse. Today she cares for hundreds of orphans and prisoners in Central Africa.
Regular GOD TV viewers will know her as Annie from Kondanani Children’s Village, the ministry she and her husband Lewis established in Malawi in 1995 and which GOD TV supports on a regular basis. With two orphanages, a children’s hospital and an extensive outreach to a nearby prison to oversee it is no wonder a fellow minister once cautioned her with the words… “Annie there are only 24 hours in a day, you are already taking 48, now you want to push it to 64!”
But Annie Chikwaza has always been one to push the boundaries of possibility. She knows she serves the GOD of the impossible, who can turn-around even the most dire circumstances. Abandoned by her first husband who did everything he could to thwart her ministry, she had to overcame the brokenness of divorce. Then, when she felt led to re-marry, it was not the easiest choice. Her husband was from another country and culture and she had to give up everything to follow him to Malawi. “But I was so happy, she says, because I was right in the centre of the Father’s will.”
Even so, her back was broken in a horrendous car accident and later she was attacked by a mob of villagers incited by jealous members of her husband’s family and severely beaten up… For a time the future looked bleak, yet God was in control. The very land on which she had been left for dead was to become a life-giving sanctuary for many people. The very ground on which she was very nearly killed is now home to more than 180 orphans… truly Kondanani is a miracle of God’s faithful provision.
Annie and her team have rescued abandoned babies from bush toilets/latrines and cared for many children with AIDs. They also have a heart for widows who Annie affectionately calls, “Golden Oldies” and those who in prison. Clearly the Lord has anointed her to bind up the wounds of the broken hearted and proclaim liberty to the captives. “The church of today can no longer reach out on a spiritual level alone,” she says, “Salvation is Spirit, Soul and Body. The tears may flow, but there is nothing than makes me happier than the task set before me.”
“So often Christians see the need and say they will pray about it but do nothing,” said Don Heginbotham, producer of this series of In Depth hosted by David Aldous. “Annie saw the need and responded to it… despite many difficult days, the lack of resources and pain of seeing little children dying of AIDs, she has endured to make a difference in the lives of many who would otherwise have perished. This is the Gospel at work in a powerful way and I encourage viewers to tune in and experience this story of God’s grace and one woman’s fortitude in the face of enormous obstacles. They will be so inspired.”
Don’t miss In Depth with Annie Chikhwaza on GOD TV.